Microsoft third-party licensing and activation server set to RTM

In July, Microsoft announced its intentions to deliver a number of licensing technologies to ISVs interesting in deploying Microsoft-like activation and licensing in their products. One of those components, the Software Licensing and Protection Server (SLP), is likely to be released to manufacturing (RTM) on August 31.

The SLP server will allow third-party software vendors to host their own servers and create software licenses — machine-based, time-based (for software subscriptions and trials), user-based and/or feature-based — for their products. The server will generate a key, which users will use to activate their software, via a digital license. ISVs will be able to turn on different features and different SKUs for different markets without having to go back and tweak the code for each version. Microsoft plans for the SLP Server will come in two versions: Standard and Enterprise.